Beast's real mark devalued to '616'

[swag]

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/toronto/story.html?id=702d14ee-4847-4c3d-90ce-46e933232df0

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Satanists, apocalypse watchers and heavy metal guitarists may have to adjust their demonic numerology after a recently deciphered ancient biblical text revealed that 666 is not the fabled Number of the Beast after all.

A fragment from the oldest surviving copy of the New Testament, dating to the Third century, gives the more mundane 616 as the mark of the Antichrist.

Ellen Aitken, a professor of early Christian history at McGill University, said the discovery appears to spell the end of 666 as the devil's prime number.

"This is a very nice piece to find," Dr. Aitken said. "Scholars have argued for a long time over this, and it now seems that 616 was the original number of the beast."

. . . more

[kick-ass-bob]

1. Are they going to have to remake the song

"The Number of the Beast" ??

[asthmaticeog]

2. Oh, shiiiiiit - my tattoo... WORTHLESS!

[Magrittes Pipe]

3. This is perhaps the best post I have ever seen on DU.

:thumbsup:

[Misunderestimator]

4. LOL

[SPQR]

18. Your tattoo?

Hell, MY birthmark!

[Worst Username Ever]

19. I am literally laughing out loud right now.

[Misunderestimator]

5. Grand Rapids, MI... Home of the Beast!

:shrug:

[AntiCoup2K4]

15. By any chance, is HELL Michigan within that area code?

If not, it should be :evilgrin:

[tjwmason]

6. Even the Devil has to make cut-backs

What an indictment of king george's economic policies.

[youthere]

7. Man these budget cuts are out of control.

[fudge stripe cookays]

8. Reminds me of "The History of the World....."

"I give you these 15....{smash} these 10.... 10 Commandments!"

FSC

[swag]

9. It's freaking me out that this message has six replies

Oh, I mean seven.

It's freaking me out that this message has seven replies.

[swag]

10. Kick for Damien!

[chickenscratching]

11. holy shit!

well, that changes just a few things

[swag]

12. Reactions to the news are mixed.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=634679

The Book of Revelation is traditionally considered to be written by John, a disciple of Jesus; it identifies 666 as the mark of the Antichrist. In America, the fundamentalist Christian right often use the number in sermons about the coming Apocalypse.

They and satanists responded coolly to the new "Revelation". Peter Gilmore, High Priest of the Church of Satan, based in New York, said: "By using 666 we're using something that the Christians fear. Mind you, if they do switch to 616 being the number of the beast then we'll start using that."

[ghostsofgiants]

14. Haha, good old Satanists

I'm convinced they're just atheists intent on pissing off and freaking out Christians.

[swag]

16. Yeah, I think you're right.

Many are just vindictive atheists. Interviews with Anton LaVey, among others, show that pretty clearly.

[Tektonik]

13. Grand Rapids is EVIL

http://www.whitepages.com/maps/MI

[swag]

17. Can't believe there isn't more excitement about this.

The whole 666 shit just collapsed.

Where is fucking Paul Harvey?

Where is Cal Thomas?

[swag]

20. I think it's critical that the workers in the Night Lounge know the real

mark of the beast.